Published: Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 8:02 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 8:02 p.m.

But that is exactly what Ocala/Marion County is losing on our educational investment in our children each year. You see, homegrown talent that we have collectively paid to educate goes off to college, never to return. Oh, they may want to come home, but they don’t — all too often because they simply have no decent job prospects here.

The $100 million figure comes from the Kevin Reed, director of the community’s new business incubator, The Power Plant. The Power Plant, an affiliate of the Ocala/Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership, has been busy over the past year luring new high-tech startups to our community, and it is those companies’ need for young, innovative workers that has brought a longstanding problem to the forefront.

So Reed and The Power Plant are launching a nationwide initiative to try and reverse the trend of our best and brightest going elsewhere through a program called Flip the Magnet — the idea being, as Reed puts it, young people are either attracted or repelled by a community. Too many of ours are being repelled, and we need to find ways to flip that.

Every year about 2,500 young people graduate from local high schools. About half of those go on to some sort of college. Fewer than half, however, return to pursue a career. It costs us — you and me — about $180,000 to educate a child from kindergarten to diploma. When so many go away and don’t come back, it is an investment in our young people, in our best and brightest, in our future community leadership lost.

Ocala/Marion County already has a deficit of educated workers, with only about 11 percent of the population holding four-year degree — compared to about 16 percent statewide. That makes it harder to attract employers who pay good wages, because if they can’t find educated talent, why bother coming here.

Equally important, we need new leadership coming through the civic pipeline, leaders who have a stake in our community, Flip the Magnet can be a critical catalyst in building a foundation for the next generation of leaders.

To help give Flip the Magnet legs, Reed and the Power Plant are trying to raise $180,000 to provide 300 “student memberships” to the Power Plant, so our best and brightest will have a chance to see that more and more Ocala/Marion County does have 21st century opportunities for them.

But the need for young talent goes far beyond The Power Plant. It reaches into our hospitals, our banks, our schools, our newspapers. This is a cause everyone should be cheering on because, as Reed told me, “it’s important to our young people.” And that, my friends, means it is important to all of us. Besides, who can afford to lose $100 million a year forever?

<p>Imagine losing $100 million a year on long-term investments. That's right, $100 million. Poof. Gone. Goodbye.</p><p>But that is exactly what Ocala/Marion County is losing on our educational investment in our children each year. You see, homegrown talent that we have collectively paid to educate goes off to college, never to return. Oh, they may want to come home, but they don't — all too often because they simply have no decent job prospects here.</p><p>The $100 million figure comes from the Kevin Reed, director of the community's new business incubator, The Power Plant. The Power Plant, an affiliate of the Ocala/Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership, has been busy over the past year luring new high-tech startups to our community, and it is those companies' need for young, innovative workers that has brought a longstanding problem to the forefront.</p><p>So Reed and The Power Plant are launching a nationwide initiative to try and reverse the trend of our best and brightest going elsewhere through a program called Flip the Magnet — the idea being, as Reed puts it, young people are either attracted or repelled by a community. Too many of ours are being repelled, and we need to find ways to flip that.</p><p>Every year about 2,500 young people graduate from local high schools. About half of those go on to some sort of college. Fewer than half, however, return to pursue a career. It costs us — you and me — about $180,000 to educate a child from kindergarten to diploma. When so many go away and don't come back, it is an investment in our young people, in our best and brightest, in our future community leadership lost.</p><p>Ocala/Marion County already has a deficit of educated workers, with only about 11 percent of the population holding four-year degree — compared to about 16 percent statewide. That makes it harder to attract employers who pay good wages, because if they can't find educated talent, why bother coming here.</p><p>Equally important, we need new leadership coming through the civic pipeline, leaders who have a stake in our community, Flip the Magnet can be a critical catalyst in building a foundation for the next generation of leaders.</p><p>To help give Flip the Magnet legs, Reed and the Power Plant are trying to raise $180,000 to provide 300 “student memberships” to the Power Plant, so our best and brightest will have a chance to see that more and more Ocala/Marion County does have 21st century opportunities for them.</p><p>But the need for young talent goes far beyond The Power Plant. It reaches into our hospitals, our banks, our schools, our newspapers. This is a cause everyone should be cheering on because, as Reed told me, “it's important to our young people.” And that, my friends, means it is important to all of us. Besides, who can afford to lose $100 million a year forever?</p>